Research: Brits among least likely to hand data to AI
September 29, 2026



As businesses race to roll out AI assistants and agents, research from Usercentrics reveals a blind spot behind consumer adoption: some of the access being granted to AI is coming from people who are uncomfortable giving it.

Globally, just 7 per cent of consumers are fully comfortable granting AI access to their data without conditions, while 16 per cent say they would grant access despite feeling uncomfortable – meaning reluctant permission is more than twice as common as unconditional comfort. Usercentrics calls this “resigned consent”: a ‘yes’ that masks underlying discomfort with the access being granted.


The findings from Usercentrics’ State of Digital Trust 2026 reveal British consumers are less likely to give that reluctant yes. Some 11 per cent of UK consumers demonstrate resigned consent, compared with 16 per cent globally, the second-lowest rate of any market surveyed after the US at 10 per cent. Germany sits at the other end of the scale, where almost a quarter (24 per cent) grant AI access despite discomfort.

But that does not mean British consumers are more comfortable giving AI access. Across the six categories tested, 40 per cent of UK consumers on average either refuse an AI access request or say they would stop using the AI entirely if that access was required. Instead, the findings suggest British consumers are more likely to turn discomfort into a ‘no’, while in other markets that same discomfort is more likely to remain hidden behind an acceptance.

The findings point to a growing challenge for businesses rolling out AI: access rates alone can show how many consumers have said yes, but not how comfortable they were making that decision – or how strong that permission really is.

“An access rate tells a business how many people said yes to AI — it can’t tell them how many felt comfortable saying it, and that distinction matters. Reluctant acceptance is a weak foundation for long-term adoption. The lesson isn’t to chase the highest access rate, it’s to build trust that doesn’t need resignation to get a yes,” commented Tilman Harmeling, Staff Strategy & Market Intelligence at Usercentrics.

Brits draw the line at their finances

The sensitivity of the information being requested has a significant impact on UK consumers’ willingness to grant AI access.

Resistance is lowest when AI asks to access more everyday tools, with 32 per cent of UK consumers refusing access to work tools or saying they would stop using the AI altogether if that access was required, compared with 33 per cent globally. This rises to 34 per cent for health data, 37 per cent for email and calendars, 40 per cent for company data and 45 per cent for files and documents.

Financial information emerges as the clearest red line. More than half (53 per cent) of UK consumers refuse AI access to their financial accounts or would stop using the AI entirely if it required that access, compared with 49 per cent globally. The UK figure is among the highest of the seven markets surveyed, behind Sweden (68 per cent), the Netherlands (63 per cent) and the US (54 per cent).

When Brits say ‘yes’, they mean it

The difference between the UK and other markets becomes particularly clear among consumers who do grant access.

At 11 per cent, the UK has the second-lowest average rate of resigned consent of any market surveyed, compared with 16 per cent globally and 24 per cent in Germany. The US is the only country lower, at 10 per cent.

UK consumers aren’t afraid to say no to AI access. But when they do say yes, they’re less likely than most other markets to do so reluctantly.In Germany, the opposite pattern emerges: 24 per cent of consumers grant access despite feeling uncomfortable, more than twice the UK rate, while just 16 per cent refuse outright, compared with 24 per cent in the UK.

For businesses racing to implement AI, these findings point to a simple truth: adoption is accelerating, but comfort varies by market, and a ‘yes’ can never be treated as a given. The organisations that will thrive in this next wave will be those who seek to understand, and earn, that yes. The organisations that will thrive in this next wave will be those who seek to understand, and earn, the yes.